Introduction
What’s in a number? To those who believe in practices like feng shui and numerology, there’s a lot of meaning that can be uncovered by particular values or arrangements of numbers. Some numbers, like the numbers 7 (in Western culture) and 8 (Chinese culture), are associated with good luck and prosperity. Others, like the number 4 in East Asian culture, connote bad luck; in the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages, the words for “four” sound similar to the words for “death.”
But in what situations are these numbers actually a cause for alarm? Here, Feng Shui Nexus consultants Kartar Diamond and Uncle Dixer share their thoughts.
Do You Need a Remedy for the Number 44?
One reader asked Kartar:
Dear Kartar: Our house number is 44. What other remedy can help weaken this apart from numbers within a red circle?
Kartar’s answer is as follows:
You asked about the number(s) 4 in your address, as if this was bad luck or bad feng shui. This is one of the most enduring feng shui myths, but I beg you to not be worried about your address. The scope of feng shui involves the interpretation of natural and man-made landscapes as well as built structures. It is not numerology.
This myth endures in part because even poorly trained feng shui practitioners and authors perpetuate this notion. It began because the word for death in Chinese, ‘sze,’ sounds similar to another word for death. This might be like worrying about a window ‘pane’ because it sounds identical to the word ‘pain.’
The number 4 actually has some positive metaphysical connotations too. When Flying Star feng shui practitioners do calculations on a house (based on year built and compass reading), the 4 star is related to the Xun trigram. The Xun trigram is also energy related to some birth years for individuals.
I’ve personally lived in a house with the number 4 in the address, and I had a nice life and good fortune. Please don’t worry about this myth.
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Does the Number 44 Affect the House’s Feng Shui?
Another reader directed a similar question to Uncle Dixer:
Dear Uncle Dixer: I want to buy a good home which was just renovated. It looks very good. The house number is 44, however. Is there any Feng Shui cure that I need? The house is facing South. I was born in June, 1991.
Uncle Dixer’s answer is straightforward and is similar to Kartar’s:
The number 44 is related to numerology and NOT Feng Shui. If you worry about the number 44, then put a red circle around the number to remedy it. The red circle can weaken its negative influence.
Additional Comments
Both Kartar and Uncle Dixer are in agreement about not being too fearful of the number 44. For one, numerology and feng shui are not mutually exclusive in their beliefs, and for another, other factors—such as individual birth years as they relate to the Xun trigram—may be at play.
If you’re in a similar situation to the readers and have gotten nervous about seeing the number 44, especially in your house number, don’t fret. It won’t be the death of your prospects for good luck!
Kartar Diamond of Feng Shui Solutions® has a full-scale consultancy, including assistance with property searches, design phase and existing homes and businesses. She is the author of three books, 6 ebooks, 36 Cast Study Lessons and more to come. See the books she’s authored or browse through her online Traditional Feng Shui school.